August 2026
Peek Inside our Children’s House Community
Dear Bobcat families,
Welcome to another exciting school year! It feels wonderful to be back together, and we are thrilled to welcome our newest students: Logan, Zara, Aria, Jordyn, Ezra, Brixton, and Valentina. It is a true joy to have them join our community. We are also deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to our classroom wishlist—your generosity helps us create a beautiful, meaningful environment for the children.
Adjusting to the Classroom Morning drop-offs have been wonderfully smooth and calm. To help our newest and youngest friends settle in, feel safe, and get comfortable, we gather for a brief morning circle each day. We greet one another with "Buenos días”, and practice our Grace and Courtesy lessons. Recently, we’ve focused on:
Asking for help and observing a working classmate respectfully
Navigating the room, including walking safely around rugs, using soft voices, and sitting quietly at circle time
Work habits, such as putting away materials properly after use
Mealtime etiquette, including serving snacks, waiting patiently, chewing thoroughly, and cleaning up
Cultivating a Love for Reading Reading with your child every night plays a vital role in their development. While our brains are naturally wired from birth to process spoken language and visual objects, reading requires building entirely new neural pathways to translate printed symbols into meaning.
In the classroom, we read daily stories that encourage peace and community. This month, the children loved Gigantic: The Small Whale with a Big Heart, a gentle tale about teamwork, courage, and embracing what makes us unique.
If your child is already reading independently, please encourage them to practice reading out loud or to themselves for at least 10 minutes every day.
Important Reminders
Extra Clothes: If we send soiled clothes home, please send a fresh, full change of clothes back the next day.
Lunchboxes: Please practice opening lunchboxes, containers, and placing food onto plates at home so your child can build lunchroom independence.
Uniform & Jewelry: Please leave bracelets and necklaces at home, as they easily become distractions during work time. Small earrings are perfectly fine. Please ensure shorts are worn under all dresses.
Show and Share: Show and Share takes place on the last Friday of the month. Please send a meaningful book or object—no toys, please.
Sign-In: Remember that the iPad sign-in is a legal document and must only be completed by an authorized adult.
Warmly,
Ms. Hany and Ms. Rocio
Dear Cactus Wren Families,
It has been an amazing couple of weeks. Welcome back to the returning families and we are so excited to welcome our new families to Cactus Wren! We are so thankful for the support that we have received from you all these past weeks!
These past weeks the children have spent time familiarizing themselves with the changes of the environment and welcoming new friends into the classroom. During group time we have been having group craft lessons and grace and courtesy lessons. Some grace and courtesy lessons that we have had are how to knock on the door while someone is in the restroom, how to carry a table and chair, and how to help a friend feel better.
We also welcomed our new class pet! We got a Zebra Finch, and the children were very excited to greet him. For the name we decided to do a vote, we selected three names and they were Ziggy, Zazu, and Gizmo. Each child got an opportunity to vote, and the name with the most was Gizmo!
Lastly, we are so grateful to have all of you be a part of the Cactus Wren family. We look forward to an amazing year and sharing wonderful moments with all of the children!
Kindly,
Ms. Ana Karen and Ms. Luisana
Dear Gray Fox Families,
What a beautiful start to a brand-new school year! Our classroom has been filled with excitement, new friendships, familiar faces, and many wonderful moments of learning. We are so happy to welcome our new friends and families to Gray Fox and to welcome back our returning friends. It has been wonderful watching the children reconnect with their classroom, friends, and teachers.
During these first weeks, the children have been gently adjusting to our daily routines and becoming familiar with the rhythm of our classroom. They are learning how to choose meaningful work, care for the environment, observe lessons, wait patiently, and enjoy working independently. Each child is settling in at their own pace, and it has been beautiful to see their confidence grow day by day.
Grace and Courtesy
A big part of our beginning-of-the-year work has been Grace and Courtesy. These lessons help children learn how to move peacefully through the classroom, communicate respectfully, and care for themselves and others.
Some of the lessons we have been practicing include:
How to greet a teacher and a friend
How to offer a hug
How to carry a tray carefully
How to use the bathroom independently
How to pour water for drinking
How to ask a friend to give us space or walk away
How to observe a lesson respectfully
How to ask for help
How to wait patiently for a turn
How to care for our classroom materials and environment
These small lessons make a big difference in creating a peaceful, respectful, and joyful classroom community.
Easy Biscuit Recipe
Let's bring a little bit of our classroom fun home! The children enjoyed making biscuits, and we hope you will enjoy making them together at home.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Add the cold butter and mix until crumbly.
Gradually add the heavy cream and gently mix until a dough forms.
Pat the dough to about ½-inch thick and cut into rounds.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden. Enjoy!
Thank You, Gray Fox Families!
A heartfelt thank you to all the families who sent items from our classroom wishlist. I truly appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness.
I would also like to extend a special thank you to our parent volunteers for your time, support, and willingness to be involved in our classroom community.
We are off to a beautiful beginning, and we are looking forward to all the learning, growth, friendships, and joyful experiences this new school year will bring.
Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being such an important part of our Gray Fox community.
Warmly,
Ms. Rama and Ms. Britany
Hello Jackrabbit Families,
What a wonderful start to the school year! We are so excited to welcome everyone back to the Jackrabbit classroom, and we welcome our new students and their families. We are looking forward to a year full of growing, learning, and becoming a community. The children have been enjoying their new lessons and adapting to the environment and routine.
During our first several weeks of school, we have been working on Grace and Courtesy lessons to support the children in their daily social interactions, and we will continue throughout the year. All these lessons bring peace and loving, trusting relationships with one another. The children have also been working in all areas of the classroom. We have noticed an explosion in the Language area; you will find moveable alphabets and children writing and reading. Our younger friends are working daily with their sandpaper letters to help them recognize the symbols for the phonemes using three senses (tactile, visual, and auditory). If your child comes home with a small booklet of sounds, please practice with them the sounds from their booklet.
Our garden has also been bringing so much joy to the children. They have been learning that food can begin with something as small as a seed and that caring for our garden takes patience, responsibility, and community. The children recently harvested fresh basil from our garden and used it to prepare carrot salad with fresh basil.
During August, we welcomed Ms. Erin into the Jackrabbit classroom for two weeks. The children were so excited to have her with us and quickly formed a beautiful connection with her. As her student teaching experience came to an end, Mrs. Erin shared something that touched our hearts: her experience in the Jackrabbit classroom has been a lifelong gift. We feel equally grateful that she chose to spend this special time with us.
A couple of reminders:
Crocs are not allowed as school footwear. Please refer to Creo’s uniform handbook.
Thank you for cooperating at our drop-off time by keeping it “short and sweet.”
Apple pouches and yogurt pouches need to be poured into a container.
Please return your child’s work folder the next school day after it is sent home.
Thank you for your trust and support. We feel grateful to be back in the classroom and to spend our days with each one of the children. We are looking forward to a wonderful year filled with new experiences and the beginning of lifetime memories. We appreciate you, and what an honor it is to be part of your child’s Montessori journey.
Warmly,
Ms. Yadira and Ms. Karen
